How to SAVE a Girl - From Herself! (The ME Chronicles)
by Erizabesu Miharu
Summary: 2k16 verse. Emma's back! The turtles are relieved, April and Casey are glad, Mikey's ecstatic! And Emma... she's not entirely sure how to feel. Could be time for the Mikester to step in and help her sort it out. MAJOR Mikey/Emma fluff in this one! Read, rate, review, and as always, eat pizza.
1. Chapter 1

**We're back to our old scheme of things! Old friends are back, but so are old enemies... and those can create a whole new set of problems for our strong band of brothers!**

 **Slight recap: Emma's back, and after being captured by the Kraang, has a few extraordinary abilities. Casey and April are engaged (you know it!), and the Purple Dragons are onto Casey being the hockey-mask vigilante... though we're not quite sure what Hun intends to do about it. But Shredder still wants to eliminate the turtles. The big question though, does Karai want to?**

 **So many questions, when will they all be answered? Not all in this story, I can promise you that! But keep reading anyway.**

 **}{}{June, 2016}{}{**

"I don't like this." Leo kept his posture easy against the beam, though his chest was growing tighter with each second. "It's been too long."

"It's under control." Donnie assured him from where he knelt, scribbling in his notepad.

"Like last time." Raph sniped. He gestured with the arm that held a cast up to his elbow. It had happened during 'last time'.

"This' different." Mikey insisted , even though he'd been the pacing for the past seven minutes. The brothers were more or less circling the channel of water that flushed into the lair from the Atlantic. It needed to be salt water, Donnie insisted. His eyes didn't leave the soft glow ebbing from beneath the rocking surface.

The timer dinged. Leo rewound it. "That's eight minutes and counting."

"Incredible." Donnie adjusted his glasses.

The glow moved, like it had heard his praise. It slinked around Splinter's meditation circle, closer to where Mikey stood.

"Awesome." Mikey grinned under his breath.

"Disturbing." Raph said.

"Blow heart." Mikey eyed him. The glow moved closer still; and the proximity seemed just cause for him to panic. "Though, dude… I think something's wrong."

"How would you know?" Raph craned his neck at the circle's edge.

"Well, she obviously put herself in a position for me to save her." Mikey tensed, ready to jump.

"Mikey!" Donnie warned, hand on his bo. "If you contaminate one more experiment…"

He was cut off as a body surged through the surface of the water. Spraying all of them but Leo, Emma Dewitter soared a full five feet in the air and back flipped a landing on the meditation circle.

"My good pillows!" Master Splinter cried out, a hand going over his eyes. Like lightening, Emma danced out of the circle to keep from further dripping water all over the cushions. She landed beside Donnie, placing her hands on the hips of her swimsuit. "Well?"

"Eight minutes, fourteen seconds," Donnie said, even though it was Leo who had been holding the timer. "Quick-"

He held up his modified breathalyzer and Emma put her mouth around it. It was an automatic movement by now, being her fifth one this week. Rather then measuring sobriety though, it tested for the levels of carbon monoxide in her lungs. Leo came up to read gizmo over Donnie's shoulder. Donnie lifted his glasses. "Zero toxic reading."

"Check her neck again." Raph suggested, also stepping in closer.

"Still here." Emma snapped at him, but lifted her wet hair anyway. Leo eyed the diluted veins through the skin that had continued to thin since last month. He could make out some of the muscles, even. Donnie, displaying a Raph-like lack of sensitivity, poked at them gingerly. "Is it durable?"

"It's noticeable." Emma groaned. "I can't hope to wear a ponytail in public ever again. But this is how I'm syphoning oxygen in from the water, no doubt."

Like gills." Leo observed.

"Only less grotesque." Emma let her hair fall down over her neck. Leo didn't miss her self-conscious look; and neither did Mikey, as he was at her side in an instant. "You want me to kiss it and make it better, Gorgeous?"

"Pass, Handsome." Emma stopped his face from leaning in with her palm. Mikey's shoulders drooped, but he handed her a towel as Leo moved to help Master Splinter with his damp pillows. Donnie typed away at his mini keyboard for another minute. "Ok, tonight, let's go into the Hudson! I want to try-"

Emma groaned, bringing her head up out of the towel. "Donnie, c'mon. You've been testing me out for three weeks now! I'm beginning to feel like a dolphin training for SeaWorld."

"I'm only trying to determine the extent of your capabilities." Donnie reasoned, one eyes still on his screen. "You asked me to."

"Yeah," Emma sighed, with a look at Mikey. "Why'd I do that again?"

Donnie walked past all of them, heading for his lab. "If I had even a fraction more sophisticated equipment, I could get a closer look at your DNA. See where the mutagen has linked into your cellular structure…"

"Who needs the reason, Don," Mikey nudged at Emma, coaxing a grin from her. "Dudette's got powers now."

"It matters a lot, my son." Said Master Splinter from across the circle. "Should the Shredder and the Kraang attempt more testing on humans, we'll need as much knowledge to our advantage as possible."

Raph snorted. "So why not just give ourselves the advantage? Throw back some of that mutagen and-"

"No!" Everyone hushed his thought, to which Raph huffed.

"We're animals, Raph." Donnie rubbed a hand over his head. "There's no telling HOW that stuff could affect us a second time."

"How could it be any different then affecting her?" Raph pointed bluntly at Emma.

"Still here." Emma stated, louder this time.

"That's just the point." Donnie exclaimed, lifting up his glasses. "Without knowing the how or the why, it'd be scientifically irresponsible."

"Watch it Donnie," Mikey punched at Raph's shoulder. "Big words anger him."

Raph spun and caught Mikey's forefinger in a hold that bent him down to a knee. "Guess who I'm gonna take my anger out on."

"Raph…" Mikey squirmed under the hold. "Ok, Raphie…"

"I really don't think you're grasping the depth of my anaylsis-" Donnie attempted to step in between them; only to be pushed aside by Raph.

"Guys!" Leo tried to move in, but he was too late into the yelling. He sighed; no point. Emma had already slipped out through the garage.

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

April O'Neil thanked Vern for the ride home, secretly vowing to get back into riding her bike. This past month had been brutal, one new New York City development after another. Vern and his van had just been a necessity, not a choice. Course, the elevator being broken made up for her loss of cycling. April removed her shoes for the three flights of stairs, dragging her keys out to unlock her and Emma's apartment.

She was met with the scent of melted cheese. April followed the scent into the kitchen, where Emma sat on the floor, a steaming Donatos in her lap. April squinted at the toppings. "Bell peppers and artichoke hearts… that's Donnie's favorite. Why are you eating it?"

"For the spite of him not having it!" Emma held a greasy piece above her head in triumph before driving it into her mouth. April watched, tapping her fingers on her hip. "You sent him a pic, didn't you."

"Mou bmph." Emma smiled through crust and cheese.

"You're mean." April playfully kicked her leg out of the way to get to her sweet tea in the fridge. Emma stayed snuggled with her box. "Honestly, April, I'm about to strangle that science turtle. I've been down there for a week and he'd poking and prodding me 24/7. My hours at the clinic are my only hours of sanity anymore!"

April dropped down beside her, uncorking the tea. "You asked him to, remember?"

"Yes." Emma rolled her head back against the fridge. "Only I thought he'd be… sensitive about it. "He's like Raph with a beaker."

April choked on her tea. "I warned you. Donnie gets a new project, nothing else matters but the results."

"It's not that I'm not grateful for what he's doing." Emma clarified with another swallow. "He's answered a few questions. He's positive that the metamorphosis on my neck has stopped- something about the reaction of the cells having died out. But I can't know about the other parts of my body, what they might do in the future. He doesn't have the means to know that and-"

April looked at her as she stopped talking- and chewing. Her face had stilled; gone somewhere. It had done that several times since she had come back. It was the one thing she wouldn't talk about… maybe tonight would be different.

"What?" April asked, her tea in mid-air in suspense. Her voice brought Emma back and she couldn't grab another piece of pizza fast enough. "Nothing."

"Nothing my foot." April put the tea down. "Seriously Emma, where-"

Emma offered her a piece. "Better to eat this then your foot. I'm… tired, April."

Tired. One of the many things that she suddenly was.

"You know," April took the pizza from her, despite her hate of artichoke hearts. "We're happy to have you back, Emma. And I've got a lot of ground to cover in the being there for you department…"

"April," Emma pushed the pizza slice up toward her mouth. "It was nothing."

April believed that like she believed artichoke hearts were a valid pizza topping.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma laid on her back in the dark of April's apartment. She watched the electric streams of her veins push up through her forearms and into her palms. Heat came with them; far from searing, but enough to make her face crinkle. She held the energy there in her hands, her fingernails aglow, and shy threads of electricity jumping between her fingers. She kept it there for about twelve seconds, then drew it back. That had been something she had had to practice controlling on her own; and it was really the only part that needed controlling, thank goodness.

 _Let's just hope it doesn't lead into something worse._ Emma dropped her hands and resumed staring at the ceiling. _Something I CAN'T control. You wouldn't let that happen, right Lord? Something terrible happened to me last year and… this came out of it? Why? That's really all I got, so why?_

It was the question that sang her to sleep every night since she had accidently short-stopped a penguin's heart at the marine park where she'd been working. It was her endgame question; once she had the answer to why, she could start to make sense of this new aspect of herself. When summer was over, she'd be going back to school and that marine park… would she be able to? What if something saw her neck? There was already odd looks because of her forehead-

The dark broke again, this time from the tiny rectangle of her phone. Emma turned over and answered it. "Why aren't you dreaming about comic books right now?"

"I needed to wake up to realize my dream."

Emma held a laugh in with her hand. " _Where_ do you come up with these lines, Mikey?"

"It comes naturally with being handsome." Mikey told her.

Sometimes his confidence was overwhelming. But it never failed to bring a smile to Emma's face, and she wanted that more then anything right now.

"Aren't you guys on patrol tonight?" Emma asked, relaxing back into the cushions.

"Sure." Mikey laughed, like _what else would we be doing?_ "But you left so quickly. I didn't get to give you a good-bye kiss."

"Yeah, well, I was needed some space."

"Plenty of that up here." Mikey's voice stretched out a bit, then came back. Was he running while talking?

"So, I had this crazy idea that couldn't wait until morning," Mikey went on. "About our bucket lists."

Emma's breath caught. Last time he'd brought up their bucket lists, they'd gone on a date. And she'd kissed him! He wasn't reading into that, was he? Mikey was impressionable… yet more mature then his brothers gave him credit for. When the situation called for it.

"Is this about your jalapeño eating record?" Emma snatched one of the random items out of the air. "Because I don't want to miss that."

"Oh, uh…" Mikey's breathed hitched, like he'd jumped over something. "I kinda already did that."

Emma pouted her lip. "I missed it?"

"Hey, Casey was the one bragging about his tastebuds." Mikey rushed to explain. Emma sat up, eyeing the hallway to ensure she didn't wake April. "Did you leave _all_ of the seeds in?"

A pause. "Yesss."

"Oh." Emma beat a pillow silently. "That had to be so hot!"

The worst part was when-" Mikey stopped. "Agh, off track, Gorgeous. Ok, on your bucket list, you put the one place that you would go back to. What's the Mokulua Islands?"

Emma leaned back, suddenly intrigued. "Mikey, how do you remember that?"

"I have your list memorized."

"Oh. That's not creepy at all."

"It's devotion."

:'Whatever." Emma cracked another laugh. "The Mokulua Islands are a couple of dots off the east shore of Oahu. They were my favorite place to kayak and swim… why?"

Mikey didn't respond for a second. "I gotta think about this some more. Oh, and go stop a mugging!"

"But, Mik-"

"Cowabunga!"

The line cut off on his signature yell. Emma stared at her phone in puzzlement. _What's that crazy turtle up to?_

 **}{}{}{}{**

A mugging wasn't more then a one-turtle job. But when that mugging took place on Purple Dragon turf, with a dozen nit-picking associates a scream's length away, then it turned into a four-turtle chop-busting rowel.

Mikey easily avoided the switchblade that one of the dragons thrust at him; honestly, he was trying to have a conversation with his brother! "So, does JFK do flights to Hawaii?"

Donnie looked back from where he'd pinned a Purple Dragon to the wall with his staff. "Of course it does, Mikey."

"Uh huh," Mikey caught his assailant's wrist, twisting the switchblade out of it. "Like, how often?"

"Why are you asking this?" Leo asked before he spun off the top of the dumpster, plowing a couple of dragons on their backs.

"Cause Donnie's the genius who knows everything."

"Only anything that I care to read about." Donnie told Mikey before a dragon rammed him from the side. Mikey twisted his dragon in a full circle onto the pavement. "So what, you don't care about airplanes?"

"Why would any sucker care about being a million miles offa the ground?" Raph kicked the Purple Dragon off of Donnie. He went flying into Leo, who gave him a prompt punch across the jaw. "Definitely not you, Raph."

"The biggest lemon of 'em all." Mikey snickered.

Raph growled, throwing Mikey a dirty look. "What're you even asking about planes for? Taking a trip?"

Mikey froze suddenly, his Purple Dragon- the last conscious one- in a headlock and still struggling. "I, that is… um, well… maybe."

Leo, Raph, and Donnie shared a glance, then laughed. Leo shook his head. "In your dreams. Quit messing around, Mikey. Let's go home."

He opened the dumpster and Mikey spun the Purple Dragon into the dumpster. He turned away quick, neck flaring with heat. _I'll show you messing around, Fearless._

 **Now what could Mikey be up to?**


	3. Chapter 3

**}{}{}2 Days Later{}{}{**

"Hello?" April walked into the lair a few feet ahead of Casey. Her voice echoed back, absorbed only by the water pouring in from the sewer line. Not a turtle or rodent in sight… odd.

"Yo, Raph!" Casey gave a shout out, like hers hadn't reached every corner of the place.

"Evening, Mr. Jones." Master Splinter walked out from the kitchen. "Are you done testing the acoustics of my home?"

April bent her head to cover a giggle. "We were hoping to catch the guys before they went out. Have any of them- or you- seen Emma? She left me a kinda vague note-"

"Miss Dewitter is gone as well?" Master Splinter stopped her, his shiny eyes narrowing.

"As well?" Casey repeated.

Master Splinter led them into the sitting area. "Michelangelo has not been seen since this morning, explaining the absence of my other sons. They went looking for him."

April actually relaxed a little at that news. "Well, if they're both missing, the only explanation is that they're with each other."

"But all day?" Casey raised a brow, looking around the lair; because one once-over wasn't enough. "Where would they go?"

 **}{}{1,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean}{}{**

"I'm having trouble understanding this," Emma came up behind Mikey as he bent over to read the directions beside the heavy metal door that was sealing them in. "You ask me about _my_ bucket list, but then we end up doing something on _your_ bucket list. Eating peanuts and a Diet Coke in the cargo hold of an airplane."

"No one twisted your arm to come." Mikey pointed out to her, trying to keep his voice level. He was so excited, he could barely contain it. He was minutes away from giving her his big surprise! She was going to be so… surprised!

"That was nine hours ago, when I thought we were just crossing the Rockies and back." Emma explained, catching a strap off the wall as the plane hit some turbulence. "I'm guessing that we passed that mark four hours ago."

"Congratulations," Mikey straightened up. "You still know more math then me."

 _Turn the big knobby-thing, it rolls the door back, like on a mini van. Easy peesy._

"Mikey," Emma grabbed his arm, getting their eyes to lock. "I don't want to sound like I'm doubting you…"

"Then don't." Mikey patted her hand, snapping the red bar upright. It popped, hissed, then drew itself back to reveal navy-blue waters rushing below. They were tinted orange in the beginning rays of the sunset. Wind pulled at his bandana and tossed Emma ponytail back.

She stared out the door, bulging. "Uh, Mikey, I…"

Mikey wrapped his arms around her and with one step, they were plunging at the water, head-first.

"Miiikeeeyy!" Emma screamed out her confusion, her grip about to crack Mikey's plastron. "Holy crap! I'm gonna diiiieee!"

The wind whipped her voice away, like it whipped her ponytail out, leaving her red-gold waves to slap Mikey in the face. He brushed through them and with his free hand, switched his board on. "I got this, Gorgeous."

He watched the world spiral from sky to ocean, over and over, faster and faster. "This is amazing!"

Emma let loose another scream as Mikey planted his feet on his board and started coasting the air. He felt the distance closing between them and the surface. He needed to build up their wind resistance to bring down their speed. He ollied a few times (Emma screaming through each one) and finally braced himself as they hit.

The slap jarred his whole body and the bubbles clouded his vision in an array of blues and whites. _Whoa… trippy!_

Emma's tiny hand squeezed his and Mikey kicked furiously, drawing them both up to the surface. Mikey gulped in the warm Pacific air. Water lapped over his shell, stretching in all directions; except for west, where land loomed. "Whooo! What a ride! Am I ri-"

Water slapped him in the face, giving Mikey a salty mouthful. Mikey blinked through it at a wet-headed Emma, treading a few yards from him. "Are you crazy!?"

What? Why did she sound mad? Why did she _look_ mad?

"What was that!" Emma pointed at the sky, slapping her arm back into the water.

"A…" Mikey drew out his answer, in case he had the wrong one. "Freefall?"

Emma nodded sarcastically. "Into the Pacific. Into the frickin' PACIFIC OCEAN! What's the matter with you!?"

 _Many things._ Mikey admitted, "That's a broad question, Gorgeous-"

"Was this Donnie's idea?" Emma's face morphed into pure rage. "Some idea for a new test? See how far the freak can freefall? He's watching this on satellite right now, isn't he!"

With each sentence, she hit Mikey in the face with more water. It was hard to calm her down when you were choking on sea foam.

"Well," Emma shot her eyes to the sky. "He should know that I've been eating his pink lemonade Poptarts! You think I wouldn't find your hiding spot? You may be able to fool Raph, but not ME!"

"Emma!" Mikey finally managed to call out.

"You can't take a break for one nanosecond-"

"Imogene!" Mikey pulled rank. "This isn't a test! Look starboard, er port, er… that way!"

Emma paused in her rant, turning her head toward the speak of land. "Wh… Where are we?"

"A few aquatic strokes from the Mokulua Islands. Where you said you wanted to go. I thought you could use a break from all that testing."

Emma looked back at him, moving her arms to stay afloat. "So… that's Oahu?"

Yeah… I think." Mikey coughed out some salt water. "The website said New York to Honolulu. But if the islands are as close together as they are on the map-"

"Mikey," Emma suddenly bust out laughing. She took to floating on her back. "You're unbelievable."

 _Yeah, I am._ Mikey grinned… only to have another wave slap him aside the face. "Um… stating the obvious, let's try to reach the dry land."

Emma rolled over and started stroking toward the island. "Work those legs, Handsome. We gotta long swim ahead of us."

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

 **Aloha! FYI, these islands are a real thing... I've been there and I recommend it to ANYONE looking to experience some beautiful Hawaii in their lifetime.**


	4. Chapter 4

"You sure you can't hear their thoughts?"

"Not a one." Emma assured Mikey from across the fire.

Mikey nodded. "Ok… I don't feel so bad."

"Good, cuse I'm starving." Emma rotated her shoulders, cracking her left in two places. "A four mile swim will do that to ya."

Mikey's grip fumbled on the spit where their caught tuna roasted. "I didn't _mean_ to drop us on the wrong side of Oahu."

Emma laughed at his nervous tone. "There's only so many sides."

Emma had seen the way that the swim had taken a lot of Mikey's stamina when they first got ashore on the island. Sure, she had been tired and her clothes had been soaked through into next week, but she hadn't been exhausted. Her endurance in the water was that of an Olympian. Why water though? Emma sighed, watching Mikey handle the spit and grapple for the pizza slices he had packed along. He hadn't tried tuna with red sauce and mozzarella yet. His bucket list was really shrinking this week.

"Man, are these things done yet?" Mikey flipped the stick over again. "The scales are falling off. That's good, right?"

"The best." Emma took charge, happy to be distracted. She slid the fish off and onto the paper towels that were their plates. The consequences of Mikey packing; he'd remembered salt, pepper, even garlic, but not plates… or utensils. And a tent tarp, but no poles. But, he did live in a sewer, and they had found a rock inlet deep enough to cover the top with the tarp. It would keep the light of the fire out of the sight of any aircraft. It was Hawaii, so there would be plenty.

Emma handed Mikey his half, blessing her fish as he combined his with the pizza slices. She caught Mikey's eye as she looked back up. And he was staring at her with the first bite of fish in her mouth. Great!

"What?" Emma swallowed with a blush.

"You're serious about that, aren't you." Mikey stated.

Emma nodded, gauging his reaction to it.

"Why didn't you pray aloud, then?"

Emma wiped under her lip with her thumb. "Feels fake, forced kind of. I don't want to approach God like that."

Mikey shrugged, biting into his fish-pizza mash-up. "I thought it'd be a phase."

"Me too." Emma admitted. "But, the more I go to church, talk with some of the people… God makes sense."

"So," Mikey swallowed. "You're sticking with it, but you don't understand it?"

"Do you understand everything about Master Splinter?" Emma raised a brow at him over the fire.

"Yeah… no." Mikey shook his head. "But I'm hoping for a break through, soon. My timeline's a little, you know, iffy, cuse he's _old_ -"

"He'll whack you so hard for that." Emma warned him.

"Will not." Mikey cried, waving it off. "We're like five thousand miles-"

"He'll know."

Mikey looked defensive, then his eyes popped. "Oh shell… he will know!"

Emma laughed aloud and the familiar tingle heated her fingers. Instinct had her dropping her fish and hiding her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker. _No! Go away, go away, go away!_

"You don't…" Mikey started, stumbled, then tried again. "You don't gotta hide that from me, Emma. I don't mind."

"You don't mind because you're Mikey." Emma quieted herself, easing the color out of her hands. Mikey watched it, hardly attempting to hide the grin in his voice. "You know what this makes you, right?"

"Don't even say it-"

"Katara, Aqua Goddess of the Water Nation!" Mikey pumped the air. In emphasis, the echo of a wave slapped against the rocks below them. Emma stilled at it; like she was waiting for it to come up and bite her. She did that so much… when had she become so unsure and skittish?

"Ok, game time!" Mikey diverted attention like the pro that he was, digging into his duffel.

Emma stopped chewing, eyebrows peaked. "No way that you fit your Xbox in there."

"No. My Gameboy!" Mikey branished the two controllers, held together with matching duct tape. He tossed one to Emma and the gaming commenced. They started out old school with Mario Brothers, working their way up through Lost Jewels and finally, Angry Birds!

"You're cheating!" Mikey accused Emma, reading her scores as she soared ahead of him.

"No, I'm just that good." Emma smiled devilishly through the glow of her screen. Mikey yelped as his bird exploded. "How'd that- you ARE cheating! Lemme see!"

"No!" Emma squealed, moving her controller out of reach.

Mikey reached for it easy, but Emma dodged just as easily, rolling toward the entrance of their cave. Pumped now, Mikey followed without a thought. But he didn't count for being twice the size and weight of Emma and suddenly he'd knocked them both out and into the night, toward the dull roar of the waves below. He felt Emma's hand grip his before he went belly first into the Pacific. He expected to be suspended for a moment, salt and bubbles rushing his eyes and nose. Instead, there was an instant push and Mikey's shell jostled him against the side of the island's rock face. _Ow! Feisty ocean!_

The force of the water released him. Mikey spun a few times, head over heels, only to feel another wall of water crushing down on top of him. Mikey's brain wondered for a second as he tried to figure down from up, lungs beginning to burn.

Wait… where was Emma's hand?!

 _Oh shell!_ Mikey's eyes shot open to the deep blue swirling him around. _I lost her!_

Mikey's feet hit sand and he pushed himself up. Only to be broad-sided again by a wave of magnum force. _Move, ocean! I gotta find Emma! And some air!_

The ocean, apparently, didn't care about either. Mikey hit the rocks face-first this time and inadvertently cried out. _Argh! Not smart, Michelangelo!_

Mikey clutched at the rock with both hands. A lifetime of monkey swinging over NYC had given him a die hard kung-fu grip. Mikey looked up and saw the dim light of the surface. Did he have time to swim up? He needed air!


	5. Chapter 5

**Possible spolier... this is my FAV chapter!**

 **}{}{}{}{**

Mikey!

That was Emma's first desperate thought when their hands ripped apart. They were dangerously close to steep, sharp rocks and there were suction pockets all around this island. Emma righted herself in the wavering water, but it was only shades of deep blue, mixed with black. The pressure that should've been pinching her ear drums at this depth was non-existent. Emma doubted she would ever feel it again, or the need for air. But Mikey would!

 _How do I find him!?_ Emma's mind cried out into the void of water. It felt like a command because suddenly there _was_ pressure; behind her eyes. Emma shook her head and in three seconds, it was gone. Leaving her with a vast, disco-array of the ocean world that surrounded her. _What…_

She looked down. The sand glowed in its pale blue, while marine life forms popped out in striking violets, greens, pinks, and oranges. The water had flourished into a turquoise, bright as in the daytime, and the rocks ahead…

 _Mikey!_ Emma spotted him now, a giant turtle shape of yellow and orange, fumbling against the waves toward the base of the rocks. Emma surged forward, her body cutting the water like a knife. The waves had no effect on her, and she reached Mikey's side in seconds. Emma found his hand and where he should've been heavy, Emma propelled them to the surface with lightening speed. Her head broke into the air a second before Mikey's, gasping for the breath she hadn't been holding. Mikey coughed up water beside her, the colors holding in her vision only a moment before everything faded back to their evening hues.

 _What was that?_ Emma thought in desperate explanation. _What is happening to me?_

"Wave!" Mikey cried.

Emma had already sensed it coming and she turned, hand outstretched. The large, looming roll of ocean that had been heading for them, obeyed the motion, and stopped. Then it eased off, flattening into the rest of the Pacific.,

 _Just like I wanted it to._ Emma's mind reeled in amazement. _Lord, really, what's happening to me?_

"Whoa."

Emma looked over at Mikey, who stroked his arms out to stay afloat; something else she didn't have to do, if she didn't want to. "You alright, Mikey?"

Mikey didn't answer; only stared, "Uh… do they always do that?"

"What?" Emma moved her hand down, concentration broken.

"Your eyes, dudette." Mikey cocked his head at her. "Do they… always glow?"

}{}{}{}{}{

Mikey really wished that Emma would say something. It had been, what, almost ten minutes since their escape from the grabby ocean and she hadn't opened her mouth once! Leaving him with all the footwork! And he'd gushed over her totally rad command of the seven seas for three of those minutes before realizing that she didn't look all that happy about it. Shouldn't she be bugging out along with him, picking out a superhero costume and name. His, of course, was Turtle Titan and he was always willing to take on a sidekick…

Finally, at the eleven minute mark, he couldn't stand it any more!

"Speak!" Mikey blurted over their renewed fire. "Emma, c'mon; say something! Spew some awesome nonsense already! This isn't like you."

"Exactly." She looked up at him. "This power-packed body isn't me, Mikey… I thought… I always assumed that if I were to ever get superpowers, I would be jumping for joy and rushing off to patent my catch phrase."

 _Aw, snap._ Mikey's neck straightened. He'd never thought of that.

"And I'm not." Emma spoke with frustration now. "I mean, how can I be? Every swim that I take now reminds me of-"

She stopped there, wrapping a knee up to her chin.

"You can say it, y'know," Mikey said. "You can't, like, summon it by saying it. The tank."

Emma eyed him, then gave a slight shake of her damp head. "You don't know what I had to do to survive inside that _tank_ , Mikey. I lost something in there- an innocence that I miss. That's the dark place where this- this-" She held out her hands with their blue-grey voltage. "Was born out of. I don't like it. I'm afraid of myself, Mikey. That's something I've never been before and I… I don't know how to deal with that."

Mikey took that, then coughed. "Yeah… but I always thought it was born out of hope."

She looked up at him, her hair a copper, curved frame around her face. "What? How?"

Mikey shrugged. "You were pretty scary when we first got you outta there. I started to think that it was so bad that you were gonna disappear. PTSD, something like that, and you wouldn't be Emma anymore. But, your powers showed up and I figured- this' good! Something _good_ came out of me thinking that you were dead and you fighting cabin fever for a week. How do you not get excited about that?"

Emma opened her mouth, then just hopelessly shrugged.

"The Emma I know doesn't give up." Mikey told her. "So, maybe you were so scared, you left her in there for awhile. So, I'm just waiting for the rest of you to come back."

Emma stared at him; almost like she couldn't get a read on what he was saying. "Mikey. What if… what if I'm not in here anymore?"

"You are." Mikey stated.

"I mean, Carson-"

"Shut up!" Mikey pointed at her now; maybe that would make the point sink in. "You're Emma! No one else."

Emma blinked and wiped at her eyes. "I know. It's just... I look in the mirror, see the scars, feel the heat in my hands if I get scared or excited... Mikey, these things never work out. Not in the comics, not in the movies. And I can't... I don't know."

Mikey scooted himself around the fire, getting shoulder to shoulder with her. "Of course you don't know. That's when you ask somebody else if they know. They may not get it right, but... they'll at lest be there to help you figure it out."

Emma watched him as he spoke, but she still wasn't smiling. Mikey grinned at her, nudged at her playfully. "What's that great songwriter say? _Lean on me, when you're not strooonng…"_

"I'll be your friend," Emma continued after a sniffle. "I'll help you caaaary onnn."

"Oh we're going American Idol here!" Mikey raised his voice, an arm around her shoulders. "Fooor-"

"It won't be looonngg…" Emma picked up with him, putting a smile on.

"Till I'm gonna need-" Mikey smiled with her. He liked watching her eyes.

"Somebody-" Emma turned and faced him, gearing for a big finish.

Mikey gave her one. He zeroed his lips on hers before she could 'lean on'. It wasn't like under the water tower. This was quick and it came with a jolt as Emma drew back too soon. "Um; Mikey…"

Aw crap, he'd scared her! Dumb, rash, impulsive turtle! _Say something sweet, say something sweet!_

"That didn't feel any different."

 _Yeah son! Nailed it!_

Emma went into the kiss first this time. Like magnets, his hand found her waist and her palm came to his cheek. The fire popped and sizzled beside them, but Mikey barely registered it. He was doing some sizzling of his own! A kiss with Emma the first time had been a risk- this time was the reward. Because it could only mean that she liked it! She was pressing in, he was pressing back…

"Mikey." Emma stopped, letting out a breath with their kiss. Her tears dried on her cheeks, catching the firelight in shiny streaks. She looked radiant, but Mikey caught a reluctance in her eyes. He drew back. "You're gonna make us talk about this; aren't you."

"We wouldn't be fair to ourselves if we didn't." Emma sighed, eyes catching the dance of the fire. "On the water tower... I didn't think I'd see you again. So I wasn't afraid of the consequences."

Mikey's chest tightened. "So... it was a pity date."

"NO!" Emma snapped her head around, clutching their hands together. "I liked you before you ever asked me out. I still do."

"Like me?" Mikey drilled his eyes back into hers. He didn't take many moments to be serious; he didn't want to be serious half of those moments. "Because I- I love you."

He'd told her, and now watched Emma's cheeks flush. "Me too."

"You-" Mikey's mouth fell open. "You do?"

"Yes," Emma's lips lifted up, her eyes back on him. "I don't see how I couldn't."

"But you were just-"

Emma shut him up quick with a lip lock that had his shell scraping into the rock wall. Her force shocked Mikey at first, but then the realization hit him. _She... She loves me!_

His hands took the sides of her face, feeling that damp, tangled hair between his fingers. _This gorgeous chick loves me!_

He pushed his way into the kiss, the excitement fueling his passion. Mikey didn't want to stop, but eventually they did with Emma's arms slung around his neck… which had grown _very_ warm.

"You." Emma stared him down heavily. "Are. Incredible."

Mikey wasn't too sure how to respond. His brain was currently muddled in the world's most colorful puddle of melted mozzarella.

Emma giggled at his expression. "I just made your ego impossible, didn't I?"

Mikey nodded.

And Emma smiled. A real 'Emma' smile.


	6. Chapter 6

**Doomo - 'Thank you'**

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

"What happened to you?" April finally asked when she couldn't take anymore. It had been two days since Emma and Mikey had gotten back from Oahu; which was a gigantic question mark in itself. How did a mutated turtle go about sneaking abroad a plane; seriously, how?

The point was that since their return, Emma was… well, Emma again. Minus the liquid telekinesis and the nine-minutes of underwater breathing. She was laughing again, blurting out nonsensical movie references, and back on her three course, four snacks a day meal plan. Right now, April was watching her hunched over her coffee table, scarfing down a burrito the size of Master Splinter's head.

"What'd ya mean?" Emma looked up, black bean juice dripping down her chin.

"C'mon!" April exasperated, waving at the burrito like it spoke for her friend's total personality revert. Emma didn't need any second hints and put the burrito down. "Mikey talked me out of my funk. I was letting those crappy, awful memories control me, letting it bury my personality. Even more then I realized, and it still scares me…"

Her face went sad and April squeezed on her hand. "Talk already, Emma."

"Sometimes I have dreams of not breathing," Emma mentioned, picking at the corner of the burrito. "Ironic, but I'm working my way out of that."

"Well, you're off to a good start." April praised her with relief. "Just in time, too-"

She hefted a thick catalogue onto the table. "I need to look for the perfect dress!"

"Mmmm!" Emma squealed through another bite of burrito. She scooted over as April flipped open the catalogue to a sweetheart style she'd circled three times.

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

Master Splinter saw the raising of his sons as the highest privilege he would have in life. However, it was also the biggest anxiety and reason for his gray hairs. But he moved ahead because it was what a father was bound to. He just had never dreamed that he'd be bound to talk with his youngest about a weekend getaway with a girl! It truly made his palms sweat as he waited for Michelangelo-

"Sensei!"

Michelangelo entered Splinter's bedroom with a wild flail of his arm- that knocked his bonsai tree over. The pot was plastic, but Splinter still hissed out his frustration. No matter where he moved the dreaded thing… did his sons have a radar of bonsai destruction? The trees were so hard to come by, even with April and Casey's resources at their family's disposal.

"Sorry, sensei." Michelangelo scrambled to pick up the fauna, bowing apologetically. "You wanted you see me… what's up?"

"Have a seat." Splinter gestured to the mat he'd set up in front of his own. "We need to talk about your reckless excursion."

Michelangelo looked himself over, then eyed Splinter. "I'm not tired, sensei."

Splinter closed his eyes. "Your trip to Hawaii, Michelangelo!"

His son's lotus position tipped over at that, his complexion paling. "Ohhhh… but how'd you know?"

 _Oh, give me strength!_ Splinter tapped a nail on his knee. "Aside from Donatello having to erase you from seven international security cameras, and you bouncing into the lair with a logo cup from Matsumoto's Shave Ice… not much."

"Yeah, but…" Michelangelo leaned in, like he suddenly had a secret. "But how'd you know… that I called you old? Emma said that you would." His brow raised dramatically. "Dad, you _sure_ you're not a Jedi?"

" _I'm not talking about that!"_ Splinter's voice picked up. "Rather about your impulsive action that endangered your entire family! Michelangelo, we can barely go out for one night without meeting the Foot or a street gang. They have eyes everywhere! How easy could it have been for one of them to spot you? Capture you? And what if you were spotted in Hawaii, left something behind to hint at your time there."

"Emma was the one who went ashore to buy the shave ice." Michelangelo said.

Splinter shook his head. "Michelangelo, your failure to comprehend the risk-"

"I knew it was a risk, sensei." Michelangelo claimed. "That's why I had to do it. We just got Emma back and we were running her ragged with this Justice Force training."

"And I have spoken to Donatello about this." Splinter nodded his head. "He will be letting up a little in his inquisition of Miss Dewitter."

Mikey nodded, but clearly didn't understand that word. "Yeah. But, it wasn't just that, sensei. She was back, but she wasn't… Emma, y'know. I needed to snap her out of it." He beamed then. "Which I did. Rack one up for the Mikester."

 _Uuuughhh._ Splinter resisted the urge to massage his temples. His word was law in their home, but he didn't want to make the mistake of ignoring his sons' independent choices. They were just so diverse… "You are indeed a strong and uplifting person, my son. I'm certain that Miss Dewitter is very grateful-"

"Oh yeah, she was!" Michelangelo grinned stupidly.

Now ALL the hairs went up over Splinter's body. "The other matter that we need to discuss. Your relationship with Emma… how would you define it?"

"We're friends, Master Splinter." Michelangelo caught onto his serious tone and finally calmed.

"Just friends?" Splinter pressed, bracing for the answer.

"Well…" Michelangelo broke eye contract. "I… I love her, Dad."

Splinter kept his initial cringe on the inside. "I figured as much. And Emma?"

"She loves me."

"You seem very sure of this," Splinter said with an intent stare at his son. "But you are often caught up in your own emotions, Michelangelo. Then you fail to recognize others in your excitement."

"Yeah…" Michelangelo drew out; which probably meant that he didn't get the principle. How could one turtle comprehend so much, yet grasp so little? Michelangelo watched his sensei's stare, then his eyes got big. "OH! Master Splinter, it's not like THAT!"

"Not like what?" Splinter asked, as he needed to.

"Nothing like the lip action that April and Casey are getting on."

Splinter shot a knife strike onto Michelangelo's temple. "A little respect when addressing your friends, Michelangelo!"

"Sorry." Michelangelo rubbed the spot. "Look, Master Splinter, I- _we_ \- know that our circumstances-"

"One's heart, often times, disregards the circumstances."

"Hey, I'd love Emma if she were a turtle or a babe." Michelangelo brought his smile back out. Splinter didn't copy it. "I would not deny you or your brothers a friendship, Michelangelo. So long as that friendship is healthy."

"It is!" Michelangelo cried. "It's healthy for me, at least. You probably think that I won't think this through and wind up getting hurt, right? But sensei, it's not just this wild, physical attraction."

"How do you mean?" Master Splinter holder his hands into his sleeves of his kimono, catching a hole with one of his claws. He played with it, nervous at Michelangelo's explanation."

Michelangelo took a deep breath, his eyes searching for the right words. "Master Splinter, with this family, it's all about taking care of our shells. The Foot attack and we've got each other backs, but after we send them limping…"

Michelangelo thought- _thought-_ for a moment. "Leo tries to take care of everybody! You take care of the four of us; Raph takes care of me and Donnie, Donnie takes care of Raph, and I…" He threw up his hands in a shrug. "I get to take care of Emma. She trusts me with that and… I like it. It's responsibility and I like it!"

Splinter sat still a moment, in awe of his son. His youngest, who always showed the most potential... as well as the most ADHD. He sighed, then couldn't help but chuckle. "You do take care of us, Michelangelo. The entire family. You keep things from being too serious and swallowing us whole. You remind us of the joyous things we might otherwise forget. And you are a motivation to your brothers, just as they are to you. Remember that."

Michelangelo's eyes were shining brighter with each compliment. He dipped his head, an etiquette he rarely remembered to do. "Doomo, sensei."

"Anata o hokori ni omou." Splinter told him with his own head dip. "I am proud of you, my son."

Michelangelo raised his head, his grin back. "And don't sweat it about me and Emma, sensei. We know what's what. You gave us the talk, already. And I'm guessing Emma's mom had the same talk with her… course, maybe I should check, make sure that she knows-"

"You'll do no such thing!" Splinter hushed him. "You will be too busy meeting the criteria of your punishment."

"What?"

"You should not have hopped oceans." Splinter shrugged at him. "It was foolish-"

"Aw, c'mon sensei!" Michelangelo started to stand in his protest.

"Irresponsible-"

"Sensei-" his son whined.

"And it has earned you a mouth of kitchen duty." Splinter finished, standing as well.

In time for Michelangelo to fall to his knees. "Awwwww, sennsseeeeiiii!"

 **THE END**

 **Sometimes you just need a little light-hearted filler to keep the spice alive in a series. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as the other installments. Hopefully, I'm getting better and more interesting with each one.**

 **My next installment won't be coming for awhile. Unfortunately, I've hit the inevitable writer's block. No worries, I'll kick its butt ASAP and bring you even more TMNT adventures!**

 **Try to hold on until then!**

 **Oh, and it turns out that RAPH is the winner of my poll, so I'll be writing a one-shot for him somewhere along the line.**


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